Episcopalooza!

The Authors
Mark Berry '19, Contributing Writer

Published online
June 28, 2018 4:45pm

Every year, the Student Association for the Performing Arts (SAPA) hosts its annual Episcopalooza celebration, recognizing the talents of performers in our community. Students volunteer to sing a song, read a poem, play an instrument, or whatever else they can think of. Episcopalooza has been one of my favorite events since I was a little freshman, and this year did not disappoint.

The night began with a rocking performance of “Mr. Brightside.” Max Douglas has been performing at Episcopalooza for years, and always manages to bring the house down. Next, Shearer Xi got up to sing “Yishendai.” Sad goodbyes were felt as he gave his final performance after years of coffeehouses. Up next, up-and-coming quartet Fourfront sang a beautiful arrangement of “Fix You” by Coldplay. Spencer Ashford’s performance of “I’m Feeling Good” came next, with his powerhouse vocals making us all feel good. Camila Zambrana came next, building an incredible performance of Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper.” After her was Alina Ovcharenko, singing “Please Don’t Make Me Love You” and continuing the string of powerful performances.

Things slowed down after that as Leila Wargotz gave a gorgeous display of her musical talent, playing an original piece entitled “Missing.” Then, things picked back up again as the Episcapellas a Capella group sang a rousing arrangement of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” complete with solos from Mary Peeples, Julia Messenger, and Janie Reynolds. Next, the spotlight hit senior Melanie Hoffmann in her final performance, playing the ukulele and singing “Even If It’s a Lie” and it’s not a lie when I say I loved it. Shaunjaney Bryan followed Melanie, singing “Colored Women” from Memphis and proving once again that she is one of the most talented people on the planet.

After Shauny, we heard an original rap entitled “I Don’t Know” from Eli Wilcox, with a track written by Christopher Kim. Eli surprised us with his rap skills and made us all laugh with his lyrics. Next, Kyndall Donalson and Carson Arp sang “Best Part,” accompanied on guitar by Sol Ahn, one of the best parts (haha sorry I had to) of the evening. Finally, the night closed with a performance of “Landslide” that was simply delightful, sung by Maddy Warrell and Kyndall Donalson and accompanied on guitar by Ansley Haulbrook.

From touching final performances by our beloved seniors to powerhouse performances by our underclassmen, the night was filled with fun, laughter, music, and most of all, Daman Yang’s lighting skills.